Spoiler
by Danja
Summary: Has a new Spoiler taken up the Mantle?
1. Chapter 1

Author: Danja

Disclaimer: Birds of Prey, its characters, and concepts are the property of Warner Brothers, Tollin-Robbins Productions & DC Comics.

Author's Note: I'm not a hard-core comics fan … don't shoot me if I'm not absolutely, positively, letter-perfect. For the record, I _did_ do a little research on Spoiler … so I'm not _COMPLETELY _off base. :)

I figure, if the TV show can take some liberties with the comics, so can Yours Truly. Besides, the Spoiler of the comics is incidental to my story -- so it doesn't matter anyway, eh? ;)

* * *

****

Spoiler

**Chapter One**

* * *

From _The New Gotham Gazette (July 7th):_

****

Gotham Heights "Avenger" Strikes Again

_by Tim Quinlan_

__

Gazette Staff Writer

_GOTHAM HEIGHTS -- It seems that for the first time in a long time, Gotham Heights' mysterious "Masked Avenger" has struck again. Police and witnesses have reported seeing what one described as a "superhero" wearing purple tights, a mask, a hood, and a cape. Over the past week, this masked "avenger" has been reported to foil burglaries, purse-snatchers, muggers, and illicit drug deals at the intersection of 10th Street and Pine Avenue -- an area known for its heavy drug traffic._

_The identity of this "masked avenger" is presently unknown. Police declined to speculate on just why he or she has resumed their activities._

* * *

"Think it's her?" asked Helena.

Oracle turned around towards Huntress and shook her head. "She was last active ten years ago. That's a mighty long time to be away from The Job."

"Who is this 'Spoiler'? " asked Dinah.

"First of all, she hated that name," replied Oracle.

"You knew her?"

Oracle nodded. "What she called herself … if anything … no one knows. It was something Batman bestowed upon her. She was always underfoot. She'd show up and take care of business before Batman or any of us lieutenants could get there … hence, the name. And those were just the times we _KNEW_ about her activities."

"Who is she?" asked Helena.

Oracle turned around, made a few keystrokes on her PC, and pulled a personnel file onto the overhead plasma screen. "This is the Spoiler _I _knew … Name: Stephanie Brown. Occupation: High School Student. Area of Operations: Gotham Heights. Her father was a criminal called The Cluemaster. She originally got into the business to bust _HIM_." Oracle then turned back around to face Helena and Dinah. "She was active for awhile … and then she dropped out of sight. There was a rumor floating around that she got pregnant … whether there was any truth to that, I couldn't tell you. _I_ never saw a belly on her."

"Did you two work together?"

Oracle shook her head. "I rarely saw her. She and I … or rather, she and Batgirl …weren't all that close."

"So … you think someone else has taken up her cause?"

"Probably. If she _DID_ have a child, I don't see how she could've continued … being active. God knows Black Canary couldn't do it…" Oracle then glanced at Dinah. "Or more accurately, she couldn't do it for very long. If Canary couldn't do it, I don't see how Spoiler could. The risk would be too great."

"So … what do we do about her?"

"For now, I'm going to keep an eye on her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

That night, Barbara lay awake in bed, questions swirling through her mind. _Who is she?_ _If she's anything at all like the original, she can't be much older than fourteen. _She felt her maternal instincts rising up within her. _Maternal instincts, _she thought as she smiled quietly to herself. _Before Helena came along I never knew I had them. I used to think that they were one of those things that only belonged to other people. Who would've believed it? I … Barbara Gordon … big, bad Batgirl … a mother!_

Her curiosity killing her now, she propped herself up in bed and pulled her overbed table over to her. A laptop computer with a wireless modem sticking out the side rested on top of the table. She opened the case and booted the machine. With a few keystrokes, she switched the PC over to voice-activated mode.

"Computer," she said into the microphone that was embedded into the console. "Access Clocktower network. Login Oracle-four-one-one. Password Batgirl-mark-one." Login complete, the network screen appeared on the laptop.

"Computer," she commanded. "Display street map of Gotham Heights." A full-color street map of Gotham Heights appeared on the screen. "Access New Gotham City Police Incident Report Database. Plot locations of incidents on map. Geographic area: Gotham Heights. Search terms: cape, tights, superhero, caped crusader, mask. Time frame: Within past year." The map was suddenly awash with a sea of red dots scattered all over the map. A high concentration of dots lay in the southeastern corner of the map.

"Draw perimeter around highest data point concentration." The mass of dots that lay within the southeast corner was now inscribed within a small yellow rectangle. _I know where you live, _thought Barbara. _Now, let's see who you are._

* * *

"OK, so what makes you think our Spoiler lives _there_?" asked Dinah later that day in the Clocktower Comm Center. The rectangle that contained the red data point concentration was magnified fifty times upon the overhead plasma screen.

Barbara turned towards Dinah, who was standing behind her with her arms folded across her chest. "Superheroes -- new superheroes in particular -- and serial killers have something in common," Barbara began. "They both tend to begin their careers by working areas close to their homes." Barbara then intoned to the computer, "Computer, cross-reference and correlate Gotham Heights street addresses with DMV registration records. Search for licensed drivers aged between sixteen and nineteen years old residing within defined perimeter area." A list of twenty names and addresses suddenly appeared of the plasma screen.

"OK, _that_ narrows it down…" said Dinah dryly. "Sixteen and nineteen? I thought you said the original Spoiler was _FOURTEEN. _What makes you think our Spoiler's sixteen?_"_

"Computer, zoom out fifty times," Barbara intoned. The entire city of Gotham Heights was now displayed on the screen. Barbara pointed the cursor towards a cluster of random dots near the top of the screen. "See these?"

"Yeah…"

"This is about eight miles away from her home base."

"_HER?_"

"If our Spoiler is anything like the original, we're going to be looking for a woman. Anyway, it's too far for either a bicycle or a de-cel jumpline without her getting tired. Plus, seeing as how all the incidents are taking place in the wee hours of the morning -- long after the buses have stopped running -- it's unlikely she'd use public transportation. Ergo, she must have access to a motor vehicle ... and a vehicle of her own at that."

"If I may play Devil's Advocate here for a moment, couldn't she use her parents' car?"

"Unlikely. If she were ever stopped by the police, her parents would be notified…"

"…And her cover as Spoiler would be blown."

"Exactly," said Barbara with a smile. "Computer," she continued, "Search results list. Correlate licensed drivers with motor vehicle registration records. Purge list of all null matches." The list of twenty names was now reduced to three -- one boy and two girls. "Our Spoiler is among these finalists."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"What's your angle?" Helena asked Barbara. Barbara was at her PC in the Clocktower with her back turned to Helena. Helena was standing behind Barbara with her arms folded across her chest.

"What do you mean?" Barbara replied.

"I mean, what do you want with this kid … this 'Spoiler'?"

"I have several reasons."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Barbara turned around to face Helena. "First, there's the matter of Spoiler herself," said Barbara. "We're talking about a fourteen-year-old … or someone's who's not much older than fourteen … inexperienced crimefighter. She's been lucky so far."

" 'Herself'? 'She'? "

"If she's anything at all like the original, we're going to be looking for a woman. The worst she's had to deal with so far are penny-ante guys: purse-snatchers, muggers, street corner drug dealers, petty thieves, et cetera. There's going to come a day when she's going to meet one of Gotham's big boys: Blockbuster, Clayface, Harley Quinn, or … God forbid … Joker." Barbara took off her glasses and cast her eyes downwards. "I don't need to tell you that the last time I met Joker … I barely got out with my life."

"Yeah … you got a point."

Barbara looked up at Helena. "I wouldn't wish an encounter with that giggling bastard on my worst enemy."

"So … where do _WE_ fit in?"

"I was getting to that," said Barbara. "I also had a strategic purpose in mind. I would eventually like to forge an alliance with Spoiler … a mutual-aid agreement, if you will. We cover New Gotham, she covers Gotham Heights … and we back each other up in case of emergencies. It would enable us to extend our reach."

"We know nothing about this kid … can we trust her?"

"Why do you think we're investigating her?" said Barbara with a shy smile.

* * *

"What are we looking for again?" asked Dinah. Dinah was driving the van, Barbara was sitting in the passenger seat next to her. Dinah had a portable halogen spotlight trained on the alley to the left of the van. Helena was working a late shift at The Dark Horse.

"A late-model yellow Kawasaki Ninja sport bike," Barbara replied. She had a portable halogen spotlight trained on the alley to her right. "Nothing over here," she said with a sigh. "Let's try the next block."

* * *

Earlier, they had been to the home of the first person on Barbara's list of Spoiler candidates -- a 17-year-old girl named Donna Williams -- only to find the suspect vehicle (a late-model maroon Toyota Celica) -- parked on the street.

"Maybe she's sick?" inquired Dinah. "I mean … don't superheroes catch cold?"

"Unlikely," Barbara replied. "According to the police incident report database, she -- or someone like her -- was active in the northern sector last night." She then paused. "We'll keep her name on file for now."

* * *

Now, they were combing the dead-end streets, alleys, and isolated cul-de-sacs of New Gotham Heights in search of a motorcycle that belonged to Barbara's second Spoiler candidate -- a sixteen-year-old girl named Brenda Cantrell. They had first gone to her house, only to find the suspect motorcycle missing.

"I've been thinking…" said Dinah. "I wonder if we're not barking up the wrong tree?"

"What do you mean?" Barbara replied.

"Well, I mean … we're dealing with someone who's trying to keep her identity a secret, right? I was just thinking … isn't a motorcycle rather noisy? Wouldn't someone starting a motorcycle at two, three in the morning attract attention … _unwanted _attention?"

Barbara paused and grabbed her chin. "You have a point," she said.

Dinah continued. "I'm thinking, maybe we should be looking in some place that's nearby, deserted … and yet, a place where the sound of a motorcycle being started at two, three in the morning wouldn't be out of place."

Barbara made a few keystrokes on the laptop computer that rested in her lap. "There's a large strip mall just west of here," she said. "Let's search there."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Dinah and Barbara searched five strip malls and shopping centers in their quest to find the elusive motorcycle. They searched the darkened service corridors and hidden employee parking areas -- places where few people (the occasional wino notwithstanding) dared to venture.

They came upon their sixth strip mall. There -- tucked behind a block that contained a supermarket, buffet, coin laundry, an Italian restaurant, a drugstore, and an optician -- something caught Barbara's eye.

"Dinah, stop the van!" Barbara exclaimed. The Hummer's headlights caught the tail end of a yellow sport bike tucked behind the supermarket. "What's the make and model of that bike?"

Dinah got out and checked the bike. "Late-model Kawasaki Ninja," she replied. "Think this might be it?"

"Maybe," Barbara replied. "What's the license plate?"

"Kevin-Delta-Jacob-Two-Nine-Larry," said Dinah as she read off the plate.

"That's our bike," said Barbara. "Nice work," she said as Dinah got back into the Hummer.

"What did I do?" asked Dinah.

"Had it not been for you, we would've spent the night on a wild goose chase."

"Sooo … what happens now?"

"Back up … and wait."

* * *

Barbara and Dinah backed up the Hummer and assumed a position approximately thirty yards behind the bike. They each intermittently glanced through a pair of night-vision binoculars. Barbara maintained a steady vigil on the bike. Dinah's head slumped forward as she nodded off to sleep behind the wheel.

"Dinah … DINAH!" exclaimed Barbara as she elbowed the dozing Dinah.

"Mmmph?" mumbled Dinah as she suddenly jerked awake.

"We're on a stakeout. I need you to stay awake."

"Sorry, Barbara," said Dinah. "I'm not used to this … What time is it?"

Barbara pressed a button on her watch, activating the backlight. "One-eighteen A.M"

"I sure hope she's worth it," said Dinah with a sigh as she glanced through her night-vision binoculars. "I'm not used to these crazy hours."

"Could be worse," said Barbara. "The first time I met Batman, he cut my jumpline … at ten stories."

"Get out!" exclaimed Dinah in disbelief.

Barbara nodded her head. "It's true," she said. "If Robin -- Dick -- hadn't grabbed me in midair, I would've been street pizza."

"What did he do _THAT_ for?"

"He said I didn't belong there … said I didn't belong on the street."

"You don't need his permission."

Barbara's face broke out into a grin. "I let him know that too," she said.

"This your thing with Spoiler?" said Dinah. "She reminds you … of _you?_"

"Of me … at her age."

"You gonna confront her?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

"The time is not right."

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, the choked rumble of an engine -- a motorcycle engine -- broke the night air.

"Got her!" exclaimed Barbara as she looked through her night-vision binoculars. A caped and hooded figure silhouetted in infra green appeared in her binoculars. The figure was struggling to kick-start the motorcycle to life.

"So this is Spoiler, huh?" said Dinah as she peered through her night-vision binoculars at the figure.

"It would seem so, yes," said Barbara.

The motorcycle roared to life as the caped figure gave one last grand kick on the starter pedal. She then sped away from the Hummer and into the night, oblivious to the presence of Barbara and Dinah.

"You wanna go after her?" asked Dinah.

"That's not necessary," said Barbara. "I know where she lives."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"Good morning, class," said Mr. Webber above the din. Third period Honors English was about to begin.

Dinah often wondered how she did it. _I've probably got the world's weirdest after-school job, _she thought. _Who else around here spends their free time going on stakeouts? _She buried her head in her English Lit textbook; her homework lay scattered on the table before her. After spending nights on … "The Job" … she found school to be an island of sanity … of normalcy, even.

"We have a new student joining us today," said Mr. Webber. "Ms. Cantrell, would you care to introduce yourself to the class?"

Dinah surfaced from Byron and Wordsworth at the mention of the name. _CANTRELL?!_

A thin girl with short brown hair, hazel eyes, a paperclip in her earlobe, and an athletic build stood up in her seat. She stood about five-eight and wore a black leather jacket. "Hi," she said shyly. "I'm Brenda Cantrell. I'm in the Honors Program here."

_For the love of God, tell me that's not _HER_, _thought Dinah.

"I just transferred here from Ridgewood…" Brenda continued. "I'm happy to be here."

_Ridgewood's in Gotham Heights, _thought Dinah. Her pulse was racing now, her chest pounding. _Is this really … _HER? _Is Spoiler really in my English class? _Dinah's breathing slowed as reason seized her. _Maybe she is, maybe she's not. I need more evidence._

* * *

After school, Dinah searched the motorcycle parking lot. She walked along the line of motorcycles, once more searching for Spoiler's mysterious Kawasaki Ninja. She noted each parked motorcycle silently to herself: _Red Honda … blue Kawasaki … green Ninja … blue Honda … red Kawasaki._

All at once, she found the motorcycle staring back at her in broad daylight -- a canary-yellow late model Kawasaki Ninja, license plate number Kevin-Delta-Jacob-Two-Nine-Larry. _Holy shit, it's _HER!

"May I help you with something?" said a voice from behind Dinah.

Dinah wheeled around, following the voice. There -- in the flesh and staring her in the face -- was Brenda Cantrell a.k.a. Spoiler. She wore a blue backpack on her back and carried a black full-face motorcycle helmet.

"Umm … nice bike," replied Dinah nervously.

"Thanks," said Brenda. "Haven't I seen you someplace before?"

"Umm, yeah … we've got English together," said Dinah. She extended her hand towards Brenda. "Dinah Redmond," she said as she introduced herself.

"Brenda Cantrell," said Brenda as she shook Dinah's hand.

"I'll let you get out of here," said Dinah as she backed away slowly. "It was nice meeting you."

"Same here."

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Dinah with a shy wave and a nervous, toothy grin on her face.

"See you tomorrow."

Dinah watched as Brenda put on her helmet, kick-started the motorcycle to life, backed out, and sped away. _I've gotta tell Barbara about this, _she thought.

* * *

"She's here!" exclaimed Dinah to Barbara in the empty classroom. Barbara was sitting at her desk grading papers.

Barbara stopped grading and looked up at Dinah. "Who is 'she'?" she inquired.

"She … Brenda Cantrell…" Dinah leaned forward and dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "…Spoiler."

"You're sure about this?"

"I saw the bike," said Dinah, barely audible now. "What's more, I'm taking English with her."

"If it _IS_ her, how does she come to be here … in New Gotham?"

"She said something about being in an … Honors Program."

"That doesn't surprise me," said Barbara. "New Gotham High's Honors Program attracts students from all over the District. Gotham Heights is no exception."

"I can't believe she's here," said Dinah. "Superheroes in a high school? Come on!"

Barbara blinked and glanced away nervously. Dinah then checked herself as she remembered that she was staring into the face of the former Batgirl.

"Sorry," Dinah apologized sheepishly. "I'm going to study hall," she said, turning to walk away.

"Dinah…"

Dinah turned to face Barbara once more. "Yeah?"

Barbara removed her glasses. "Don't let on … that you know," she said quietly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Dinah replied. "Professional courtesy, right?" she said with a grin.

Barbara smiled a quiet smile. "Professional courtesy."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Dinah and Brenda Cantrell -- a.k.a. Spoiler -- were sitting next to each other in the cafeteria, huddled over an English Lit textbook and parsing the Romantic Poets.

Across the room, a muscle-bound senior named "Mad Dog" Mike McLaughlin stood up. He was six-foot-three and a tight end on the Varsity football team. He had short brown hair and was wearing a New Gotham letter jacket.

He shouted, "I'LL KILL THE BITCH! I'LL KILL THE BITCH!" loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. His friends who were sitting at the table with him had just told him that his girlfriend was seeing another guy behind his back.

Dinah and Brenda each looked up from their textbook, searching for the source of the disturbance.

McLaughlin suddenly grew an extra three feet in height, tearing his pants, shoes, and jacket. His human head morphed into that of a wolf's. His fingernails began curving into long razor-sharp claws. A coat of long, thick, dark brown hair began to sprout from his skin. His transformation complete, the Wolfman let out a roar and overturned a table, sending lunch trays tumbling to the floor. Nearby students began making a mad dash towards the exits. Students jammed themselves into the doorways as the deans blew whistles and tried to restore order with shouts of "No running! Single file!"

After having seen that escape was impossible at that moment, Dinah and Brenda hid underneath the table. _I'm wondering if I should call Huntress, _Dinah thought. She was about to touch her comm earring when she noticed Brenda staring back at her. _No … not now … not while Brenda's here._

"What do you wanna do?" Dinah asked Brenda.

"I'm gonna try for the kitchen," Brenda replied.

"Good luck," said Dinah. _Please bring back Spoiler, _she thought as Brenda grabbed her backpack, crawled out from underneath the table, and ran away.

Brenda ran into the kitchen and ducked into a broom closet. Once inside, she took off her jacket and shirt, revealing Spoiler's trademark purple Lycra bodysuit.

* * *

Barbara was in class going over last night's homework when an announcement came over the PA system:

"ATTENTION, FACULTY AND STUDENTS. PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR CLASSROOMS. SCHOOL IS NOW IN LOCKDOWN. REPEAT, SCHOOL IS NOW IN LOCKDOWN. THERE HAS BEEN A DISTURBANCE IN THE CAFETERIA. FACULTY AND STAFF SHOULD INITIATE LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES NOW."

"Class, stay in your seats," said Barbara to the room. "I want you all to work on the homework problems that I assigned earlier." She then wheeled over to the classroom door, locked it from the inside, and wheeled back to her desk.

_School's in lockdown session, _she thought. _This is no garden-variety lunchroom brawl._ She looked at her watch. _Dinah's lunch hour. That means she's at Ground Zero of whatever nastiness is going on in there. _Her notebook PC sat encased in its black carrying case upon her desk. After taking care to see that no one was watching her screen, she took off her comm earring and put it inside the breast pocket of her jacket. She then took a wireless modem and a pair of mini-headphones out of her PC case. Having done that, Barbara inserted the modem into the side of the computer, plugged the headphones into their jack, put on the headphones, and logged into the Clocktower network.

* * *

The Wolfman was still going strong inside the cafeteria, upsetting tables and throwing chairs into the walls and windows, shattering them into splinters.

Dinah was at a loss as to what to do next. _Okay … should I take this guy? Or should I call in Huntress?_

Dinah's reverie was interrupted by a vibrating sensation on her hip -- her pager had just gone off. _Who could be calling me at THIS hour? _Dinah wondered. Dinah gathered her pager -- a notice onscreen indicated that she had received a text message. Dinah scrolled down through the menu and read the message:

:Dinah, this is Oracle. What's going on?:

_How do I reply? _Dinah thought.

As if Barbara had heard, the answer came onscreen (in the text-messaging equivalent of screaming at the top of her lungs):

:DINAH! TURN ON YOUR COMM!:

_If you insist, _Dinah thought as she touched her comm earring. "Oracle, this is Dinah. Over."

:Dinah, what's going on in there?:

"What makes you think something's going on?"

:School is in lockdown session. I was told that there was a disturbance in the cafeteria. You all right?:

"I'm fine. Why aren't you on comm?"

:Can't talk. I have students with me. What's going on?:

" 'Mad Dog' McLaughlin finally lived up to his name."

:How so?:

"I think he's a Meta. He's just transformed into this nine-foot wolf monster. He's tearing the place apart!"

:I'm calling in Huntress:

Dinah crawled out from underneath her table hiding place and looked around the cafeteria. The room was in shambles -- smashed tables and chairs were strewn everywhere. The windows bore spider-web cracks from having had tables and chairs thrown into them.

A flash of purple suddenly entered Dinah's peripheral vision. Dinah looked just in time to see Spoiler -- in all her blue-masked, purple-caped and hooded glory -- explode out of the kitchen door and onto the scene.

"Don't bother," said Dinah. "Here comes Spoiler."

:SPOILER?! SHE'S with you?:

"Umm, yeah … we were having lunch together." Dinah paused for a moment. "I'm gonna back her up."

:Be careful, wrote Barbara. :Stay under cover.:

Dinah crawled closer to the Hot Zone. The cafeteria was now deserted save for Dinah, Spoiler, and the Wolfman; staff and students had long ago evacuated the building. Spoiler leaped and delivered a flying kick to the monster's chest, sending him staggering backwards a couple of paces.

_She knows martial arts, _Dinah noted silently to herself.

Spoiler then delivered a kick to the Wolfman's knee, having no effect save making the monster all the angrier. The enraged monster then let out a roar, lunged forward, and swung a razor-sharp talon-tipped arm at Spoiler, taking a bloody piece out of her side and sending her to the ground.

"Spoiler, stay down!" shouted Dinah to the fallen superhero. _Mother, help me, _pleaded Dinah -- daughter of the late legendary Black Canary -- silently. As if the Ethereal Realm had heard, a supernatural force seized her. Mustering all of the Meta-human power that she had at her disposal, she let out an ear-splitting scream -- the legendary Canary Cry, a gift passed down from mother to daughter -- which slammed the monster into the wall behind him. He then collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Spoiler -- now partially recovered from her injuries -- rushed forward with a jumpline and bound the more-than-slightly-dazed beast's hands and feet together.

Barbara couldn't believe what she had just heard. _The Canary Cry_, she thought. _I never thought I'd hear it again. Dinah, was that really _YOU_?_

"Spoiler, you OK?" said Dinah as she rushed to Spoiler's side.

"I think so," Spoiler replied. "Why did you call me by that name?"

"That was the name of your predecessor in that uniform," Dinah replied as she noticed Spoiler's wounds. "You're hurt. You need help."

"I'm fine," protested Spoiler. "Anyway, how would _YOU_ know such a thing?"

"There's a lot that I haven't told you about myself," replied Dinah quietly. "C'mon … I know where to find a First Aid kit."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Dinah spirited the wounded Spoiler out of the cafeteria and away from the school building (No small feat when you consider that the campus was now surrounded by police cars, dozens of officers, and a SWAT team … all called to the scene of the "disturbance" in the cafeteria). They made their way to the faculty parking lot -- and the waiting Hummer.

Once they had arrived at the Hummer, Dinah gently set Spoiler down on the ground, opened the trunk, and took out the orange plastic briefcase that contained the unit's First Aid kit. Dinah squatted down, set the briefcase on the ground, opened it, took out a pair of EMT scissors, and cut away the ripped sections of Spoiler's bodysuit, exposing her wounds.

"I really appreciate this," said the exhausted Spoiler between gasps. Dinah put the scissors away, took out a bottle of antiseptic and a handful of large surgical swabs, and flushed out Spoiler's wounds.

"My pleasure," said Dinah as Spoiler let out a yelp from the stinging antiseptic. "I know it hurts … but it'll draw out the poison."

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear you'd done this before."

_You have no idea, _thought Dinah wryly.

After cleaning Spoiler's wounds, Dinah put away the antiseptic bottle and took out a mini-cauter, some rubber gloves, and some gauze. She put on the gloves, dabbed the wounds dry with the gauze, and ran the cauter over the wounds, sealing them.

"There," said Dinah as she examined her work. "Clean as a whistle."

"Thank you," said Spoiler weakly.

"Not a problem," Dinah replied. "Take it easy on that wound. He really took a chunk outta ya'."

"What if someone catches us … out here?"

"Worse comes to worse, I'll cover you."

"You'd do that?"

"What's the worse they can do to me … detention?" said Dinah.

"You speak as someone who's seen worse."

"Oh, yeah," said Dinah mournfully. "Much … much worse."

"Do me a favor…"

"What?"

Spoiler removed her mask and hood, revealing her true identity -- Brenda Cantrell. "Keep my secret."

"Sure," said Dinah. "Tell you what … I won't tell anyone that you're a superhero … if _YOU_ promise not to tell anyone that _I'M_ a Meta-human." Dinah then extended a hand to Spoiler. "Deal?"

Brenda smiled and shook Dinah's hand. "Deal," she said softly.

"I know the superhero game too," said Dinah. "Ever hear of The Black Canary…?"

* * *

"She was born Brenda Rose Antonello," said Barbara later that day in the Clocktower. Helena and Dinah were standing behind her. An image of Brenda Cantrell's driver's license was on the overhead plasma screen. Barbara then tapped another key on her PC. A police mug shot of a balding, middle-aged Caucasian male with a double chin and a dark moustache appeared on the screen. "Kid's mobbed up. Her father was a minor league enforcer-slash-hitman in the Corelli crime family named Louis 'The Fixer' Antonello. His nickname pretty much described what he did: he … 'fixed' things … at the other guy's expense." Barbara then turned around to face Dinah and Helena. "He went to prison three years ago. He's now doing Twenty-five-to-Life at Attica. Seems _SOMEBODY _… an 'anonymous tipster' … dropped a dime on the guy." Barbara paused. "Here's where it gets interesting. It seems that this … snitch … provided the police with a _LOT_ of detailed information: identities of victims, dates of death, locations of unmarked shallow graves … that sort of thing. Almost as if they'd _LIVED _with the guy."

"You think Brenda ratted out her dad?" asked Dinah.

"Probably … but it's never been proven," Barbara replied. "To this day, this … tipster … has chosen to remain anonymous. There's a strong probability that it was indeed _HER_. This person possessed a _VERY_ intimate knowledge of Mr. Antonello's illicit activities. Louis, for the most part, was a loner. He didn't have many friends inside … 'The Family'. For that matter, he didn't have many friends _PERIOD_. Whoever told on him had to have been _EXTREMELY_ close to him … a relative or next of kin. If Brenda _DID_ do it, she would be following in the footsteps of her predecessor."

"Sooo … how did she go from Antonello to Cantrell?"

"Her mother divorced Louis after he went to prison," said Barbara. "For the past three years, she's been living under her grandparents' name … and their roof."

"What do you wanna do about this kid?" asked Helena. "Didn't you say something one time about forging an alliance?"

"I did … but not now. The time isn't right."

"You want me to contact her?"

"Dinah already has…" said Barbara. "Albeit unwittingly."

"What do we do about her?"

"Right now, I figure the least we can do is offer her our services … as needed."

* * *

Two days later, Brenda arrived at her motorcycle after school to find tucked under the seat a small brown envelope with the name "SPOILER" printed in handwritten letters on the front.

_For me? _she wondered. She opened the envelope; inside was a small lapel pin inscribed with the team's trademark silver stylized bird on a blue enamel background. Included with the pin was a small note:

IF YOU EVER NEED BACKUP,

FEEL FREE TO CALL US.

SINCERELY,

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD

BIRDS OF PREY

Included with the note were instructions on how to use the pin to contact the team. The wheels began turning in Brenda's mind as she read the note: _The fancy First Aid kit … the talk of superheroes … could Dinah be working for _THEM? She smiled and shook her head in bemusement. _Does it matter? You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. _She put the pin on her jacket and put the note in her backpack. _It's nice to know I've got someone watching over me. _She then put on her helmet, got on the bike and started it, and rode away.

THE END


End file.
